ROLAND FP·8

& WERSI CPF 1

DIGITAL PIANOS

By Jim Aikin

F YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE A REAL pi­

I ano in your home, but you don ' t

have room for the big wooden box,
you ' ll probably be pleased to discover
how good the new crop of digital pianos sound.
smooth quality, while the Wersi Grand Piano
is beefier but not as clean .
Ultimately these differences are subjective.
They ' re not perfect, mind you - and there's When peOple call and ask us for advice on what
a surprising range of differences between man­ instrument to buy, there's not a whole lot we
ufacturers. Everybody has a slightly different can tell them beyond, "Go down to the store,
idea of what the ideal piano sounds like. play them both, and decide which tone and ac­
Roland 's new FP-8, for example, has a very tion you like better." Likewise, when we go to
write a review of a couple of digital pianos, opin­
ions on our own staff differ about their relative
merits. Bob Doerschuk (the only person on the
WERSI CPF 1
staff who gigs regularl y as a pianist) much pre­
ferred the Wersi's adion and its response to soft
Description: Digital piano.
playing. While I agreed with him, I still preferred
Keyboard: 88 notes, A to C. Weighted action. Velocity sensing. 64-voice polyphony.
the smoother sound of the Roland. Tom Darter
Features: Twelve acoustic piano variations, six electric piano variations. Seven reverb choices, (our
initially liked the Roland's adion better, because
reverb volume levels. Splittable keyboard can transmU on two MIDI channels wilt! Ioaklff fQr the Wersi felt spongy to him, but he reports that
either half. Sequence reaxder. Damper, 5OSIenUlO, and soft pedal. Six preset tuning labies- FlOI'll the more he played, the more dissatisfied he be­
panel transpQSe buttons. Music rack. Comes built into lOad QIe. came with the musical responsiveness of both
1RterAicin&: LJR line ow, 5teft!o line in, LIR speake. outs, heedpIaone OWl (all "4").. Muttipin.fJldal instruments as compared to th e response of a tre
connector for th~1 unit (supplied with piano). MIDI WouL real piano. Looks like it's still a horse race. up
0imI!nIiaaI: 52· x 19·1/l· x 5-1/..•. All of the European music mags have been stE
..lailll!!lblec!d" blaH Price: KoiII~ a~~!I!lUJ!I'!i'!i.1II1L t.I.~II\IIIIJ-.i4d1ft1ilJ;o raving about the Wersi 's wonderful sound­ th (
ailr...~ Wersi, lil a RiJ_ _.. as did we, in our April report on the NAMM
trade show. While we're not quite so enthusiastic ab
now that we've had a chance to listen in a con­ er,
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138 KE YBOARD/AU G U ST 19 92 PH O TO GRAP HS : PAU L H AGG .. RD

l­
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lied environment, we should make it clear
up front that the Wersi represents a significant
forward in terms of velocity response and
the evolving character of sustaining tones,
We can make more definite statements
about the two instruments' MIDI features, op­
erating systems, and the like, Neither the FP­
8 nor the Wersi CPF 1 (the portable version of
their Grand Piano, which also comes in several
home console models) has a full set of MIDI
master keyboard functions, You won 't find af­
tertou c h, pitch and mod wheels, or multiple
keYboard zones, They both have rudimentary
built-in sequencers suitable for home hobbyist
use, but nowhere near the list of features that
you might expect in a synthesizer in this price
range, Heck, they're pianos, aren't they? What
more could you ask?
Roland FP-B. With its clean styling and built­
in speakers (to say nothing of the audio i nput
jacks for pl aying a second instrument through
those speakers), the FP-8 would seem to be
on some of the bass-register notes, but we also
hear harmonic components that don't seem to
be looped, Overall , the sound is very smooth
from one end of the keyboard to the other, If
we had a criticism of the FP-8's piano sound
as a whole, it would be that it's so smooth that
it lacks character, When you play quietly, there's
perhaps too much treble in relation to the vol­
ume; it's as though you're hearing a piano being
played at normal volume in the next room rather
than as if you 're hearing softly played hammers
and stri ngs that are right in front of you. The
Wersi was clearly preferabl e for soh playing ,
As you move from piano variation 1 to piano
4, the FP-S's sound gets brighter, The fihh vari­
ation, 'honky-tonk: adds a detuned layer to the
ROLAND FP-B
Description: Digital piano with built-in speakers,
first piano variation, The mallet sounds include
vibes, marimba, xylophone, and an FM-type
chime , The sampled Rhodes is wonderful, and
the FM electric piano is certainly okay, but the
third "electric piano" is that infamous D-SO
"Factasia" patch, which is so ancient by this
time that it has moss growing under its armpits ,
One of the string variations IS a real sampled
string orchestra, two are synth string-type
sounds, and the fourth is a sampled choir. It sure
sounds like the same choir multisample that was
used in the U-20, Roland's popular sample play­
back synth. The sample in the tenor range, the
one where one o f the guys is singing wa y out
of tune, is definitely the same,
By layering the Rhodes or a mallet with a

aimed at the home player rather than the pro,

Keyboard: 88 notes, A to C. Weighted action, Velocity sensing. 28-voice polyphony.

but Roland tells us they' re selling them to both

Features: Sixteen sounds (five acoustic pianos, three electric pianos. four mallet instruments, fou r SlTing­

markets. It offers 16 sounds in four groups­

type). Built-in chorus and reverb. Separate volume controls for internal speakers and li ne-level
five pianos, three electric pianos, four mallet
output. Play along with recorded sequence using a different sound. MIDI input can use a different
instruments, and four string-family sounds, Two
sound than keyboard. Independent MIDI transmit and receive channels. Can transmit all MIDI
sounds can be layered on the keyboard, as long
program changes, Transpose. Damper pedal and music rack included. Red, white, or gray finish.
as they're from different groups , Built-in reverb
Interfacing: Damper and SOSlenulQlellpression pedal ins, lJmono and J( audio ins (with input level
and chorus add to the palette; you can choose
control knob) (or playing seco nd sound 5O&II'Ce through internal speaker5, ljmono and R stereo
any of four diiferent setti ngs for each,
OUlS (all 1/4",. MIDI inloutltfiru.
While the front panel announces that
DinMmioPI: 52-718" x 15-1/16" II 4-3/4". S8 1b1i.
Roland's "advanced structured adaptive" syn­
ks;ak4 IetaII Price: $2,695.00.
thesis is used, everything but the acoustic pianos
is clearly sampled , There was some debate
1;.:ct.....a!RoIandCoIp US, 7200 OoI,... 1:l. . . . . .Q..l_to.: (irlJl~rc~~j
around our office about whether the pianos
were sampled or not. W e definitely hear loops

AU GU ST 1992!KEY BOARD 139


ROLAND FP·8 & WERSI CPF 1
piano sound, you can get some nice expressive
hybrids. There's no way to adjust the relative
volumes of the two layers, however, Nor is there
any way to split the keyboard, with one sound
assigned to the left half and another to the right.
The front panel controls are easy to use­
no cryptic button sequences to look up in the
manual, (Except for the four MIDI mode options.
These don't correspond to the standard four
MIDI modes, so being a MIDI whiz won 't help
you,) The single row of buttons does double
~MUSIC duty, with a second set of functions, whose
names are printed on the panel , called up by
the ' function ' button.
:NTER The dual volume sliders are a nice touch.
One controls the volume of the internal speak­
:),S CHOICE ers, the other the volume of the line-level out­
)FESSIONAL puts, Since the internal speakers are real shy
on the bass response while the line output is
'MENT FOR
decidedly tubby, you might find that a blend
: 30 YEARS. of the two outputs gives you a better piano
sound than either output by itself. And speaking
\LL ACE of blends, both the internal and external sounds
~D OUT WHY automatically use keyboard position for panning,
so that bass-register sounds are toward the left
~46-4ACE and treble sounds toward the right. (The same
is true of the Wersi ,)
The FP-8 has a built-in 4,SOO-note se­
,ST DIXIE HWY. quencer, which is a nice extra, even though it
has no features to speak of. You can record. You
11, FLA. 33161 can play back what you recorded and play
along live from the keyboard using a different
sound - record a string accompaniment for
your piano concerto solo, for example, And
that's it. No adjustable tempo, no overdubbing
ulptor™ of a second part, no storage of more than one
recording at a time, Sequence memory is re­
::J tained for about 24 hours when you switch the
instrument off. But if you should record some­
thing you like and want to save it for posterity
~~~ by transmitting it to an external sequencer, you
may be dismayed to discover that the FP-8's
ter/ace/
sequencer only plays back the internal sounds.
!lare It doesn't transmit MIDI data.
... OR ... Three velocity response settings are provid­
ed, The rear-panel fine-tune knob is small and
awkwardly placed, but it does cover a complete
99.2 half-step. The keyboard can be transposed from
the front panel, and you can set the MIDI trans­
ibuted by: I mit and receive channels independently. You
" /
WARE-}it­ can send any program change number from the
front panel if you like, In addition, you can
55-2091 Q choose whether or not to transmit a program
change message each time you select an in­
Idditionai temal program, which is handy if you're hooked
~ Generators up to an extemal sequencer. Speaking of which,
the FP-8 can operate in local-off mode, which
~499.2 is handy for some sequencer/MIDI system
hookups. Two pedal inputs (damper and switch­
'jenitor able sostenuto/soft/expression) are provided,
IUpport : and a damper pedal is shipped with ·the unit.
565-2799 This pedal has a sort of heel flap that sticks out
under your shoe when you ' re pedalling ; this
very effectively keeps the pedal from sliding,
tllNCI Great design concept! The second pedal input
r(a)
can be used with a sweep volume ("expression")
pedal, but this will only affect the volume of
sustaining-type sounds, i.e., the strings and one
of the electric piano variations . The Contemp()
We found that the FP-8's key repetition was
more sluggish than the Wersi 's. The key bounces Key
a bit as it springs up, making it more difficult By Johr
to perform fast repeated notes. Forewol
Wersi Grand Piano. Several of our staff Chick (
critics liked the sound of the Wersi CPF 1 bet­
Publishe"
ter than that of the Roland, It has more char­ ready In
acter, certainly. When you listen to it through the "Con
board Is!" representS a milestone in ke
studio monitors, however, certain ranges of
For the beginner and seasoned pro alike
the keyboard are raspy at high vol ume, and claimed "Bible" of contemporary keybo:
th e long fades on the envelopes are not uni­ p2cked with over 5;0 pages of eas)' 10 U
IUslTluions, drills and inte"'ie...s all des
formly realistic.
To our ears, it appears that the Wersi's sus­ succeed in loday's competitive music so
"The most up-Io·date book on ke)'boa
taining sound is not made simply by looping
whole samples . Instead , some type of com­
ponent resynthesis is being used, so that var­
playing I' ve ever seen," - Chick Core.,
"A COllege wilhin a book, " - Muslclln
ious groups of overtones fade in and out in "Solid, readable. and rele\\lnt. The Conte
dist should be near Ihe top of every met:
different ways, Playing louder doesn't simply
add to the volume or brightness; if you listen
Keyboard Maglzlne
carefully you'll actually hear new overtones Order your copy today! $49.95 plus $'
resldenlS add $3.32 IU. ,l1ake check
being introduced, This is a very forward -look­
ing design , and it adds a remarkable degree
payable to:
Soun:e Prodooetlollfl
of realism to the tone and response, Unfor­ 26:)" Griffith Park Blvd" L.A . c., !
(2n) 660·5976 ur (RIM) :;Of>.0236
tunately, certain of the overtones sound more
grainy or gargly than anything we' ve ever All non·U.S. orders payable in US dolbJ
Card, or International :-.toney Order only
heard out of a real piano. And some of them
rise and fall in amplitude in a too-regular sea­ \ame
sick way as the note fades out, just as if they Card #
were standard loops.
The raspy quality is audible mainly at high Address
velocity levels, and is somewhat less prominent
in the home console model, perhaps due to
the fact that the built-in speakers are facing
away from you as you play. The room ambi­
ence smooths the sound to a point where it's
very acceptable, especially when you're playing
a musical passage, Soloing one note and JAMRECORl
putting it under a microscope reveals more son­
ic artifacts, We're told that the Wersi contains
only 3Mb of waveform ROM, and that data
ARRANG
compression has been used to give the equiv­
alent of up to eight different velocity-layered
samples per key, At a guess, the data compres­
sion is what's responsible for the grainy quality.
Or maybe a real piano does sound that way
if you forget about the soundboard resonance
and simply jam the microphone right up against
rake ContI
the point where the hammer strikes the string.
With 64-note polyphony, this instrument lets
with the JAMME
chair and get
you jam down the pedal and roar. And it has An array 01
a few features that you won't find on the Roland
- a splittable keyboard that can transmit on
await you
401-typ.
two MIDI channels, for example, and half-ped­
all ing. Even so, we're not sure it offers quite t he
JA
enough to justify its price tag, The road case
in which the CPF 1 is permanently installed
strongly suggests that it's aimed at the pro mar­
ket, yet the awkward programming interface,
identical to that on the three home console
models, is not something that pros are going "The Con
to want to mess with. And can we talk about (Studio
the fact that the case only has one handle?
Maybe you can lift a piano this heavy with one
bQnd/".
hand, but we can 't.
The Wersi boasts four basic sounds - two
acoustic pianos and two electri c pianos. (In
the home console model, one of the electrics 3 3 8 4 H 1 1

iOLAND FP·8 & WERSI CPF 1
is replaced with a honky-tonk piano.) These
can't be split or layered, but the internal sound
can be switched on or off independently for
each half of a split keyboard if you're transmit­
ting on two MIDI channels. You can select any
of 12 variations for the acoustic pianos, and any
of six for the electrics. Although the manual al­
leges that some sort of EQ is being used, the
variations actually seem to work by changing
the relative loudness of two or more samples
in a bright/dark composite layer. This type of
layering can be heard clearly in the "slap style"
effect, which seems to bring out the brilliant
layer while muting the layer that makes the dark
body of the tone. It can also be heard in the
EditorjUbs-Samplers
MACINTOSH
Sound Designer II SK
Turbosynth
Sequencers
Solt5ynth
Beyond
"crossfade minus" setting, which causes the
bright layer to play at low velocities instead of
high ones. Not a very musical effect.
On the bright side, the Wersi's sustain pedal
will do half-pedalling. Some earlier Roland pianos
allow half-pedalling, but the FP-8 doesn't. Speak­
ing of realistic piano effects, though, we spotted
a minor intermittent bug in the Wersi's voice play­
back. Playa note in the top register, and you'll
hear a sample of a piano's acoustic harp reso­
nance, which goes on ringing when the key is
released. This is very realistic. But if you play
that note and then immediately play one in the
octave below, the harp resonance will sometimes
be cut off abruptly, which is very unrealistic.
You're given seven possible reverb settings,
any of which can be at one of four different vol-
Integrated Sequencing
and Printing
Encore
Finole
ume levels (or off). Each of the four front-panel
voice select buttons stores your settings for re­
verb, sound variation, and even tuning scale.
Four non-equal-tempered scales and ten veloc­
ity-scaling curves are included in the instrument.
The Wersi's user interface has no LED or
LCD display at all, and the front panel is short
on buttons. I nstead, the keyboard itself is used
for giving commands to the machine. You press
a 'program' button, and then your next note on
the keyboard is interpreted as a command­
octave shift, for example, or reverb volume, or
velocity curve. The problem, of course, is that
the commands aren't shown on the front panel.
You have to consult a diagram on a sheet of
cardboard that's shipped with the unit. With
an 88-note keyboard, you have to constantly
count octaves up from the bottom or down from
the top to figure out where the various com­
mand keys are. Everybody on the staff hated
this data entry system.
A simp 'e record/playback sequencer is in­
cluded. Th is has a memory of up to 20,000
notes, but w hat you record will be erased when
you switch the unit off. You can store a re ord­
ing in long-term internal memory if you like,
but this memory only stores about 2,000 notes
- plenty for most piano performances, bu t a
jarring discrepancy in the design. If you've
recorded a se'lection that's too long, the Wersi
won't store the first 2,000 notes in long-term

Ballode storage, it will just refuse to store it at all. Unlike

Performer

TRAX
MusicPrinter Plus the FP-8's sequencer, the Wersi's wi lli transmit
Master Trocks Pro 5
over MID I , which is certainly ar:l improvement.
EZ Vision
It won't record program changes, however. And
if you play along with it, you have to use the
same sound that it's usin g.
Another curiosity of memory management
• can be found in the preset storage system. When
you switch the Wersi's power off and back on,
Encore
all four preset buttons will be restored to their
Music Prose
factory defaults. But in fact, the settings you gave
Scoring and Pnnlfligf them yesterday aren't gone. One of the com­
Professionol Composer
mand keys restores your settings, which have
Mosaic
been tucked away safely in memory. This is only
NoteWriter II

two extra keystrokes, so it's certainly no big deal,

Deluxe Music Constr. Set
Interfaces
MPU-IPC, MPU-IMC but it does seem backwards to us. Shou l'd n't
Interactive

V-4000, V-22, V-24s the machine assume that you want to start with
Composition

PC MIDI Cord, MaX-32M your preferred settings? Shouldn't the command

Jam Foctory

key be used to restore the factory defaults?

M

Upbeat
In addition to its line-level outputs, the Wersi
has a built-in amp and a pair of speaker outputs,
OUR POLICY SHIPPING which could be handy for home use, assuming
We accept VISA, Mastercard, for foreign orders and you've got a pair of speaker cables that end in
and American Express with no Next-Dey-Air, please call'. For all quarter-inch plugs, and that you have some sort
added service charge. Your others, ad 54 per item to cover of crystal ball for determining the wattage of the
UPS 2nd-Dey-Air. speaker outputs, which is not listed in the manual.
credit card will not be charged
until we ship your order. Call to order: Conclusions. We liked both of these instru­

Personal and compony checks

(800) 333-4554 ments, but we also had reservations about both
Good anywhere in the U.S_ and
of them. Call us demonically picky. In spite of
accepted. Please allow one Canada
its slightly sl'uggish action, the Ro land FP-8
week to clear. Califomia Monday thru Friday 9-5,
seems like a reasonable pa kage. If the We rsi
residents please add local Saturday 10-4 PST
Grand Piano were priced lower, it could hurt
sales tax to your order. FAX (415) 328-0611 the competition because of the responsiveness
Soundware of its sound, and never mind the c lu msy op­
era ting system or the odd sonic artifacts that
} Olt! JIll>! SOl//( l'
are revealed by close listening. But at $4,499
All ilems subject 10 avoilability. Defediye software and hardware rep/o<ed immediately. tor the home console model , it may have trou­
©1992 Soundware (orporatioo, 200 Menlo Oaks Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (415) 32S·5773 FAX (415) 328·0611 ble getting up airspeed.

142
KEYBOARD/AUGUST 1992